Tag Archives: favorite

You thought I was done listing favorite things in my kitchen? I have a lot of love to go around. Here are a few more favorites:

-Corningware and serving dishes. I host a lot more than I used to, because it’s easier for me to cook than explain my allergies to friends sometimes. I also like to bring food other places sometimes (so that I know there is something safe to eat), so the kinds that come with lids are my favorites.

-TUPPERWARE. I eat leftovers for lunch every day, and I freeze my own barbeque sauce and ketchup. When there isn’t an abundance of spare Tupperware around, I feel sad. (I’ve also been known to adopt Tupperware from friends and family… but when I do remember to return it, I try to follow the Golden Rule of Tupperware – you never return it empty. This sometimes delays the return).

-My mandoline. I make a lot of homemade snacks, and this baby makes all my chips a real possibility. And my cheesy kale potato gratin (really, “SLI’s Potato Kale Gratin”). Only warning: if you’re watching the Macy’s Day parade while mandolining your potatoes for Thanksgiving-potato-gratin, you should keep your eyes on your thumbs from time to time, or you may be wearing a new Bandaid on your thumb to dinner, and your dad will get you an durable cut-proof glove for Christmas.

Things I don’t have yet but may be my favorite someday:

-A pasta maker. Homemade pasta is really fun! (See “Ugly Ravioli”).

-A tortilla press. I’ve started making my own tortillas, and this just seems like a good idea.

-An ice cream maker. Someday I’ll have a really big kitchen that can fit this. Not that I need another venue for eating ice cream…

I’m a new cook. A year ago, I could not make more than a cheese quesadilla or something frozen that requires unwrapping the plastic and sticking it in the oven. Then, I started cooking, and I discovered a newfound love – for my crockpot, my skillet, and a really good knife. Here are my newbie-chef favorites:

-My crockpot. Starting off in the kitchen is intimidating, but throwing a bunch of ingredients in a pot is not. My sister, who knows I’m a little grossed out by raw meat, suggested this one to me. “Just wash some chicken and put it in the pot, and with a little crockpot magic it’ll come out cooked,” she told me. “Really?!” I said, incredulous that I would not have to cut or really even spend much time touching the raw chicken. “Really,” she said. I came home after work, the first time I tried it, and when I walked in the building I smelled something good. Somebody’s having a delicious dinner, I thought, walking into my apartment. Opening my door, I was pleased to discover that the somebody was me!

-My cast-iron skillet. It can cook on the stove and in the oven! And the flavor builds with time, and it also just seems so durable and there for me. It’s also really heavy, and it’s a skillet, so I feel like a legitimate cook with it. Only drawback: the handle gets hot. I need to get one of those rubber covers for it before I burn my hand. Remembering that the handle gets hot is not my strong suit.

-My little coffee maker. Ok, so I’ve had this for a while, and it’s not a new cooking favorite, really. But I love it! It holds four cups and it’s not complicated, I just fill it and turn it on. No fancypants espresso for me at home. That’s why Starbucks exists.

-MY IMMERSION BLENDER. This is what made ketchup possible for me! I am a bit clumsy and I inherently dislike messes, so being able to just stick a blender in the pot and let it work it’s magic, rather than transfer in and out of my upright blender, is amazing. Kudos to my brother on this suggestion.

-The really good knife. I have to say, it sounds boring but it’s wonderful. My boyfriend may appreciate this even more than I do, as he is the Salad Master and helps me chop things when I’m freaking out because I started cooking before remembering to chop a key ingredient.

-My mac’n’cheese pot. Does this pot have a name? For years that’s all I used it for. (I’ve been told by my first reader that this is actually called a “saucepan”). Now I use it to make quinoa, sauces, and… yeah I still make mac’n’cheese from the box sometimes.

P.S. I wish I could take pictures of smells, so you could smell my crockpot dinner too. Since I can’t, I’ll just have to encourage you to make a crockpot dinner for yourself!

Comments Off on Kitchen Appliances – My new found favorites (Part One)

Categories

Disclaimer

This blog is my own writing and the thoughts, opinions and advice are my own and do not express the views of my employers or anyone else.

I reserve the right to edit or delete comments that I consider to be spam, offensive, or inappropriate.

This material may not be copied or used without appropriate citation of this blog.

The views of this blog are not meant to constitute medical advice, mental health counseling, or any other type of therapy. If you have concerns, please contact your personal therapist or your physician. If you are experiencing a medical or mental health crisis, please call 911.